Origin of reactive oxygen species in human semen: spermatozoa or leucocytes?

Abstract

Peroxidative damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been proposed as one of the major causes of defective sperm function. In previous studies of the production of ROS in semen, the contribution of contaminating leucocytes was not assessed. We determined the levels of ROS in 60 semen samples from men attending our infertility clinic and demonstrated by performing extraction experiments with antibody-coated magnetic beads that, within this unselected population of patients, leucocytes were the major source of ROS in the low-density Percoll fraction. Of the sperm motion parameters examined using computerized semen analysis, beat-cross frequency was the only one significantly affected by the ROS in semen.

Relationship between seminal malondialdehyde levels and sperm quality in fertile and infertile men

“…Lipid peroxidation has also a deleterious effect on the ultramorphological status of the sperm cells and thereby on the male fertilization potential (Zabludovsky et al, 1999;Kessopoulou et al, 1992). This study showed that there was a positive correlation between semen volume and MDA levels.…”

Silymarin protects from varicocele-induced damages in testis and improves sperm quality: evidence for E2f1 involvement

“…It has been identified that the elevated oxidative stress in VCL patients leads to severe sperm cell membrane peroxidation and ultimately mortality [Saalu et al 2009;Razi et al 2011]. The imbalance in the oxidative system results in an intensive decrease in axonemal proteins phosphorylation, which in turn leads to sperm immobility [Kessopoulou et al 1992]. Sperm quality analyses in the current study showed that the percentage of dead sperm significantly decreased in the SMN-administrated group, while the motile sperm percentage was ameliorated.…”

Cytosolic and mitochondrial ROS: which one is associated with poor chromatin remodeling?

“…Reactive oxygen species can originate from endogenous sources such as leukocytes and immature spermatozoa [Aitken and West 1990;Kessopoulou et al 1992;Shekarriz et al 1995], as well as, exogenous sources such as industrial compounds, smoking, and alcohol [Acharya et al 2003;Agarwal and Saleh 2002;Kasahara et al 2002;Koch et al 2004;Kothari et al 2010;Saleh et al 2002b]. In infertile men, the mitochondrion is a major source of endogenous ROS production, which can result in DNA damage and apoptosis in spermatozoa [Barroso et al 2000;Koppers et al 2008].…”